How could I have been so blind
by EmbryStarr
Summary: Mizuki has been attempting to put things into Nanami's food and drink, although Tomoe has been catching him, Nanami refused to see it as an evil act. What happens when Nanami's ignorance gets her kidnapped? And what exactly does Mizuki have planned for Nanami? A few other familiar faces are thrown into the drama as well.. R&R please, Abuse/abduction trigger warning
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I opened my eyes to the bright sunshine streaming through the open window of my room. The scent of warm summer air gently blew against my skin as I automatically reached up with one clenched fist and rubbed my eyes tiredly. It was a Saturday, so I had slept in later than I usually would if it was a school day. Yawning, I finally pushed myself up on my elbows on my tatami mat as I raked my finger through my tangled long brown hair, brushing back my side bangs irritably. Although I was relieved that I was able to get more sleep than usual because it was a weekend, I still felt emotionally exhausted.

A sudden sliding sound off to my side broke my blurred thoughts as I quickly moved my head in the direction of the noise. Onikiri was standing behind my door, peeking through a crack he had made, with his usual look of distress (I am pretty sure it's the mask) At first I thought he heard me waking up and was going to wish me good morning, so as I began to smile at him and greet him "Good morning Oniki- " CRASH! I practically jumped out from under my blankets from the sudden noise coming from what sounded like the kitchen. "Whaa?!" My mouth attempted to make an audible question of what the heck was going on, but before I could even attempt it a second time, Kotetsu showed up beside Onikiri, their little bald heads both peeking into my room looking distressed.

"Nanami-Sama! Tomoe-dono and Mizuki-sama are at it again!"

Big dramatic tears of fear were running down their masks (I still wish I knew how they were able to do that) Sighing and shaking my head as I covered my face out of annoyance and exhaustion I pushed back the covers and shakily stood up in my pajamas that Kamehime had sent to me for my birthday a couple months ago. They were soft and silky, and so so comfortable to sleep in. Tomoe got mad at me a couple weeks after I received them because I had worn them so much that when I tried to go on a walk to town with him in them, he practically threatened to rip them off of me if I continued to wear them so much. So now I was only allowed to wear them to bed every other night. I tugged a sleeve down with a look of irritation. Heading towards the door as my thoughts began to clear more now that my body was in movement. Both of my Shinshi have been fighting and arguing practically non-stop for the past week or so.

Tomoe and Mizuki have never really gotten along, but after a while I thought it was just some strange way of how they actually showed their friendship to each other. So, yes, every once in a while I had to intervene when Tomoe would kick Mizuki from one of his sarcastic comments, or Mizuki would attempt to put poison in Tomoe's sake. It was such a regular occurrence that I began to get used to it, and for some reason it made the Shrine feel more homey and relaxed. But something has been going on lately between them that has been very out of the norm. Tomoe has become particularly protective of me when we are in Mizuki's presence. Which is almost all the time, since we all live together. The only time Tomoe has looked at all relaxed is when we go to school together, and I only know this because he just falls asleep behind his math book in class all day. I am not quite sure what made Tomoe become so guarded around Mizuki though and because of that I have no idea how to fix it. Ever since the first time I had met Tomoe when he rescued me from that old hag yokai in the demon world, he has always had his moments of being protective or even jealous. But that is just because I am his master. I know that he has always been wary of Mizuki because before he became my second Shinshi-dono, Mizuki had kidnapped me and intended me to become his bride.

That was almost a year ago, though, and things had settled down long before this started. As I stepped into the hallway and began to head for the kitchen, an ear splitting shatter made me flinch as I knew yet another one of our dishes had just been broken. I would have to go to town to get some more sometime this coming week. If it weren't for Tomoe's enchantments and spells, I am pretty sure our Shrine would look like a pile of splinters; especially due to the high level destruction from them fighting as of late. I did not want to see the mess that had been made as I reached the doorway to the kitchen. It was too early in the morning, and I was cranky from having to deal with this day in and day out.

Sure enough, what could only be described as terrifying, lay in front of my wide eyes. The kitchen had become an array of broken glass, food on the floor, counters, and even somehow smeared onto the cabinets. The stove was on high, and something in a pan was bubbling over making the room smell burnt and funny. Tomoe was holding an armful of tangerine's, and throwing them one by one, as hard as he could, at mizuki who was holding up a sauce pan with one hand as a shield, and with the other, scooping out lobs of half-melted ice-cream and throwing them at Tomoe in return crossfire.

"-dare you try and take the shiitake out of Nanami's breakfast again! I prepare a special meal just for you and you always have to ruin it!" Tomoe's fox canine's were bared in loathing as he baredly managed to dodge another lob of ice-cream, this one having headed straight for his head. I could only stare in shock as I tried to take in the scene before my eyes.

"It is my job as Nanami-Chan's Shinshi that I see all her comforts met, Tomoe! So I HAD to take that shiitake out of her breakfast! You know she hates it!" Mizuki screamed back in his innocent voice. As he scooped out another bit of ice-cream with his long dainty fingers, tears came to his eyes as Tomoe, seeming a much better shot than Mizuki, managed to hit Mizuki right in the cheek with one of his tangerine's. He must have been throwing it pretty hard because a red welt already began to blosson on his pale white skin. A darker aura began to build around Mizuki's form as he brought his clawed hand filled with dripping ice-cream back. "See what you are making me do! I am having to give up the ice-cream I hid in the back of the freezer to fight for Nanami! And it's Strawberry you fox beast!"

Tears ran down Mizuki's face as he threw as hard as he could, somehow managing to land the pink sticky coldness right on one of Tomoe's ears, which were flattened out of anger. For a moment Tomoe paused, the air in the room feeling as if it dropped at least ten degrees. "Snake... I'LL KILL YA!" He screamed as he suddenly dropped all the tangerine's, and lunged straight for Mizuki's throat.

"Tomoe, STOP!" I shouted just before he was able to grip Mizuki's skinny throat. My tsureki (powers a kamisama possesses over their shinshi where they have to listen to a command given by their master) stopped him right in his tracks, his raised claws a mere inch from Mizuki's throat. Mizuki was trembling with wide eyes, and as soon as he heard my voice and knew he was safe from Tomoe for the moment, he looked at me with tears still in his eyes, and dropped the sauce pan in his hand (dropping it on Tomoe's foot) and ran straight for me, crying and reaching out to me. "Nanami-chan! I did my best to protect you Nanami-chan!" He reached me and fell to his knees dramatically, wrapping his arms around my legs and resting his cheek against me as he sobbed. "That wicked wild fox is a beast and I cannot stand living with such a lowly yokai that I have to call my brother shinshi! Nanami-chan let's tie him up to a post in the backyard for three days and punish him!"

I stared down at Mizuki, wide eyed at his usual theatrics. More-so, I was worried about the strawberry ice-cream he was getting on my pajamas. Before I could even speak, a growl resounded from behind Mizuki and Tomoe faced us, his arms folded, practically shaking with anger as he attempted to hold himself back from attacking Mizuki once more. His ears flattened even more as he shouted again, "There is something wrong with that insolent snake!" He pointed a long clawed finger at him as Mizuki squeezed me more tightly and whimpered. "He was not just trying to take the shiitake out of the breakfast I made for you this morning, Nanami. I saw him trying to sneak some questionable liquid into it as well!"

Frowning as my eyebrows drew together in confusion, I glanced down at Mizuki who was looking back up at me with an innocent pleading expression. Tomoe had made a couple similar accusations about Mizuki lately. Claiming that he attempted to put something in my tea before bed, in my bath as it was getting prepared. Even in the toothpaste. But each time, Mizuki had a reasonable excuse for it all. Saying that it was something to help my sleep, bath salt to help me relax, or a medicine for the pain in my back I got a few days ago from helping lift something heavy in the shed. And after he had said this, I didn't worry about it because I assumed since Mizuki is a yokai practically 500 years old, it must be some ancient remedies that the japanese used to believe in and he would use all the time back at Yonomori shrine. (The shrine Mizuki used to serve in before he became Nanami's Shinshi) Glancing back up at Tomoe, I began to try and calm him down.

"Tomoe, did you ask him what he was attempting to put in my food and why he might be doing it?" Folding his arms and glaring down at the floor, I watched with amusement as Mizuki's strawberry ice-cream dripped off of his hair in the quiet of the messy kitchen.

"No, because he would say the same exact things that he has been saying all the other times." I watched as his eyes darted back up at mine, I felt a slight shock as something like fear flashed through his violet irises. "Nanami... How can you not see something is wrong here?" His gaze slid down to Mizuki who had finally managed to unwrap his arms from around my knees and push himself up onto his feet, standing by my side and glaring at Tomoe.

Folding his own arms, he spoke to me as he was still glaring at Tomoe. "It was something for your nerves, Nanami chan... I know that the wild fox has been distressing you lately and I wanted you to feel relaxed during your break from school this weekend." I watched as something like a smirk flashed across Mizuki's features in an instant, but was gone so quickly that I could have mistaken even seeing it. A growl ripped from Tomoe's chest in response to Mizuki's snide remark and he took a threatening step towards him; Mizuki, in turn, latched on to my sleeve with a look of fear in his eyes.

Sighing, I suddenly stepped forward, between them once more. Holding my arms out to keep them apart. Tomoe's suspicions were beginning to seem borderline unreasonable. Yes, it was rather strange that Mizuki had been trying to do all these 'helpful' things lately to help me relax or sleep, but surely he had been doing it this whole time and Tomoe had only been catching him in the act recently. I was feeling a whole lot more tense and restless lately, but I just thought it was from all this fighting I had been having to put up with. But maybe it was because whatever Mizuki had been putting in my food and such had actually been helping me. There is no reason Mizuki would be trying to poison me... After all, he has been so grateful constantly because he had been alone for so long after Yonomori sama passed away. He was so lonely, me and Tomoe are all he has. Hence why it was absurd for Tomoe to be suspicious of such things. He should know that.

"Tomoe, I need you to calm down and think about this rationally. Why would Mizuki be trying to poison me? You know he would never attempt to hurt me."

I instantly regretted even asking, because he had an answer right away that I should have seen coming. A serious expression crossed his features as he stared at me as if I was an idiot. "He kidnapped you and tried to make you his bride when he first met you, Nanami. Not to mention, when I found you, he was about to force himself onto you." A blush began to rise in my cheeks as I remembered the embarrassing situation Tomoe had barged into, I still am very thankful he was able to make it in time when he did, even if he was a little late.

"A snake who was willing to force himself onto you, then made himself your shinshi without your permission... how is it hard to believe he is trying to put something bad into your body, Nanami?" I bit my lip as I thought it over. A part of my mind began to see that he was making sense, although I did not really want to see it, I could not deny the points he had been making.

"But... ever since Mizuki has become my second shinshi, he had done nothing but try to help me and protect me. Just as much as you have, Tomoe. He may not have all the powers you possess since you are a former yokai, but he is a part of this family now and I cannot accept what you are telling me." Even though what he was saying was making a little sense, the facts that I had brought up rang truer in my own mind. Mizuki was part of my family now, and I loved him as one loves a brother or a best friend. Not to mention, Tomoe has always been so hard on him, I feel like I am the only one who can defend him, so I must.

Sniffling sounds made me glance in the direction of Mizuki, who now had his hands clasped together, looking at me with adoration and amazement, a big grin spreading across his features. "Nanami-chan...!" Suddenly I was being wrapped in a tight hug as Mizuki pulled me against him, my eyes widening at his unawareness of personal space.

…...

I watched in disgust as the snake pulled Nanami into his arms, his fake smile making my stomach churn. How could she not see it? How could she not see the evil that has been festering and growing in Mizuki for the past month? It's been exhausting having to watch every single move that snake bastard has been making just so I can make sure that Nanami doesn't get harmed. How could she believe those terrible lies he was feeding to her every time I have caught him in the act.. If only I could manage to get the poison he has been trying to dose her with, then I could show it to Nanami and prove it was not any of those things he had said.

I wanted to jump across the room right now, and rip his head off and be done with it. The perversion living in our household was beginning to be too much for me to bear. Something had to be done quickly or Nanami was going to get hurt... badly. A familiar pang of the worry I had to endure for twenty years, waiting for Mikage to return sprung up in my heart.

As I watched Mizuki hugging her tightly, his chin resting on her shoulder as her back faced me, his eyes suddenly opened, a slow and wicked grin began to widen on his face as he pulled her even closer, directly challenging me with his green eyes.

Yes... something had to be done about that snake.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

After the incident in the kitchen, Onikiri, Kotetsu, and I had stayed at least half the day in the kitchen cleaning up the mess Tomoe and Mizuki had made. Tomoe had stormed out of the room without so much as a word when Mizuki hugged me, and although Mizuki had offered to help me clean up the kitchen afterward, I waved him away to go and work on his daily duties reassuring him that me and the onibi-warashi could clean it up since we didn't do as many chores as Tomoe or himself. As Mizuki begrudgingly walked away to do his own chores, I let out a quiet sigh of relief. Although what I had told him was in fact true, the real reason why I wanted to do it without him was because I needed time to think things over. I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach that had been growing worse and worse for the past week. So as Onikiri and Kotetsu continued to cheer me onward, and I finished wiping up the last of the mess on the hardwood flooring, I sat back and wiped my forehead exhausted.

Although at first I was not wanting to clean up my shinshi's mess, after a while it began to feel rather good scrubbing away at mysterious debris on the walls and counters. It felt as if I was working out all of my stress that had been building up because I had something to focus on; ridding myself of all the what if's and maybe's in my mind. But the last thing in my mind would not go away no matter how much I scoured away at any of the hard surfaces; and it was the biggest worry out of them all. 'What if Tomoe is right?' I could not get flashes of memories out of my mind. Mizuki's words playing over and over in my head as he quickly explained away my suspicions every time Tomoe came running to me when he caught him in the act. Was Mizuki being a little too reassuring? Or am I just thinking that now because Tomoe's been pestering me about it non-stop?

Shaking my head, as if I was trying to physically rid myself of my own worries, I glanced at my onibi-warashi as they floated about the room praising it's newfound cleanliness. Pushing myself up off the floor and untying my apron, I put the cleaning items in the nearby closet and went outside to see if things were still on pause with Tomoe and Mizuki. It was rather annoying really, here I was, a sixteen year old human girl still in high school, and the men I lived with were at least 500 years old and I felt like a doting mother worrying over her squabbling children. As I walked outside into the warm afternoon sunshine, I could not help but enjoy the beauty of our shrine. Tomoe did his best to make it look clean and welcoming for any worshippers who might happen upon our shrine. Day in and day out no matter if we hadn't had someone come in weeks, or just a couple days, he always did his best for the shrine.

A small pang of guilt hit me as I remembered how doubtful I sounded this morning. I still did not want to believe that Mizuki was doing anything bad, but I could see the hurt and shock in Tomoe's eyes when I dismissed his every accusation. Biting my lip, I played with a strand of my hair and began to mentally work on my apology towards Tomoe. As I was about halfway through with the conversation I imagined having with him in my mind, a sudden hand on my shoulder made me jump and lose concentration. Immediately turning to see who was behind me, I felt a little edgy when I saw Mizuki standing before me, a big grin on his face, with his hand up in the air poised as a wave of greeting.

"Nanami-chan I just finished my last bit of work, would you like to help me make lunch?"

I folded my arms over my chest, feeling torn between wanting to go and apologize to Tomoe, or help Mizuki with fixing the food. The only reason why I was considering helping Mizuki was because he has never been particularly good with preparing meals for humans. In fact, Tomoe usually is the one who cooks all the meals around here but since they had fought so late into the morning, he still had at least another hour until he would be finished with everything that he normally works on around the shrine.

"Something wrong Nanami-chan? You look worried about something."

Mizuki stepped closer, peering at my face with his wide green eyes. Usually it didn't bother me, his ignorance of personal space, but for some reason I had to go to great restrain to keep from taking a few steps away from him as his face loomed closer to my own.

"Not really, I just want to go and talk to Tomoe for a little while." I responded with a smile, feeling like an idiot for him being able to read me so well that he could tell something was wrong so quickly.

A small frown tugged at his lips as he cocked his head and continued to stare at me. "I hope Nanami-chan does not feel bad for that fox beast. I think this is just the time of year when he is in heat."

My eyes practically popped out of my head as he said this, and I did take a step back this time, but not out of wanting to get away from Mizuki, but because I could not believe what I was hearing. Mizuki liked to joke around a lot about Tomoe, but this was something I had never heard before. "Eh?! I-in... heat?!"

Mizuki giggled and reached forward, taking my hands in his as he smiled down at me as if I were some naive child. "Oh yes, Nanami-chan. All fox yokai go through a stage of heat every year or so. Same with Cat yokai, wolf yokai, practically any form of mammal yokai. Usually they just go off to a brothel for a couple weeks or so to get rid of it though. That is why Tomoe Dono has been so irritable and over protective of you." He held his hand up to his head and pointed at himself. "Tomoe's brain is thinking 'Nanami is mine, and I am going to snap at any other male that goes near her' But don't worry Nanami-chan, if you send him away for a week or so, he will come back being his old cranky self."

I stared at him with wide eyes as he explained, finding it hard to believe that so many yokai were so animalistic. But what bothered me even more was the image of Tomoe going to a brothel with those damn raccoon pros. The very thought made me angry, and I did not want to consider that as an option. But at the same time... if this was going to last for a whole other week or longer... I was not sure if I could handle that. Biting my lip once more, I glanced away trying to figure out a quick solution to the problem.

Mizuki suddenly squeezed my hands tightly, and pulled me close to him. "Nanami-chan, come on. You can think it over while you help me make food. I want to make food for Nanami-chan better than Tomoe so you can be proud of me."

Glancing back at the spot behind the shed where I knew Tomoe would be weeding the garden, I sighed and begrudgingly allowed Mizuki to pull me back into the house so we could dirty the kitchen I had just cleaned. As we walked inside, I glanced around noticing the Onikiri and Kotetsu had disappeared. 'They must have gone to hang out with Tomoe...' I thought to myself as I pulled out some leeks from the refrigerator and began chopping them for the simple soup Mizuki was attempting to make. Sighing and still feeling rather bad for Tomoe whether he was in 'heat' or not, I put myself to work on the vegetables as Mizuki worked on the broth. As I walked over to get out what was left of our dishes, a yummy smell wafted through the air as I began to set up my tray.

"That's smelling really yummy Mizuki!" I commented excitedly, proud to see that he was able to accomplish such a feat at his first try at some soup. He laughed happily and nodded, sniffing the pot of soup himself.

"Nanami-chan I want you to be the first to try it! You are my master and I made this for you so you need to have the first sip, okay?"

Chuckling and nodding, I assured him that I will definitely be the first one to try it. I went and got my bowl, holding it in my hands as he ladled it into my bowl, the steam rising up into my nostrils making my mouth water. I hadn't had any breakfast since the whole kitchen was ruined so I was extremely hungry. I went back over to my tray, set the soup on it along with a few dumplings Tomoe had made yesterday, and headed into the living room to watch Kurama's latest concert on the TV as I ate my food. Although it was warm outside, the hot soup felt good in my stomach as I had eaten about half of it, already feeling more relaxed and hopeful that at least the rest of the day would be this quiet. Just as a commercial came on and I sat there talking to myself about how much more amazing Kurama's singing is becoming with each new concert, I heard someone walk into the room. Glancing behind me, still grinning, I watched as Tomoe stood in the doorway with a scowl on his face. "I finished everything that needs to be done, and now I am going to the ayakashi market to get myself another Kimono. Is there anything you need me to get?"

I stared at him for a few moment, Mizuki's comments about him being in heat made a blush rise to my cheek immediately. "N-no... I don't think so." Immediately Tomoe eyed me and stepped closer.

"What's wrong? Why is your face going red?" His hand were set on his hips as he stared down at me, inspecting me.

My eyes widened and I held my hands up as if in a gesture of peace. "N-nothing at all! It's just kind of hot in here don't you think?" I tried to force a small laugh but it came out sounding fake and nervous. But it was getting rather hot in here... I kind of wanted to go outside for a second to get some fresh air. Tomoe made a hmph noise and began to turn away before suddenly stopping in his tracks. Next thing I knew, he was suddenly kneeling beside me, looking at my tray of food before looking back up at me with a strange look on his face.

"Who made you this soup, Nanami?" Putting my hand on the back of my head, feeling a small bead of sweat run down my forehead I forced another chuckle.

"Mizuki and I made it. I cut the vegetables but he did the rest. Pretty good for his first try, eh?" I smiled but suddenly stopped as the cup of soup I had in one hand was suddenly smacked away, spilling onto the floor, but thankfully not breaking the bowl.

"H-hey! What was that for!" I suddenly felt really angry, and clenched my fists. "That's the first thing I have eaten all day and Mizuki made it especially for me!"

Suddenly a hand was to my forehead, it felt cool and rather soothing as it brushed away my bangs and touched my skin that began to feel like it was on fire. "Nanami.. it feels like you have some sort of fever.."

Suddenly I pushed his hand away and stood up, intending to storm out of the room. "This is getting ridiculous Tomoe! I do not have a fever, it is just hot in here!" As I stepped towards the doorway to go outside and stand in the cool breeze for a while a sudden dizziness hit me hard. "And since we are on the subject of heat, maybe you should take a few days off from the shrine and go to visit Ryu-oh Sama or something...-" I grabbed onto the doorframe, feeling my body sway as a cold and sickening fear hit me. I am about to pass out... but... why? Why do I suddenly feel this way? Realization began to hit me just as the floor swung upwards to meet my face as I fell forward, my grip on the doorframe becoming useless. But just as I was about to smack my face into it, soft and strong arms caught me, pulling me close to their body and once again brushing my bangs away from my face.

"Nanami?" Tomoe's soft voice sounded like it was far away as I stared up at the ceiling, watching with unwilling awe as the world around me began to grow fuzzy and darken. But just before I fell into that darkness, I could feel Tomoe shaking as he held me, and a very loud yet at the same time quiet yell pierced my ears.

"MIZUKIIIIII!"


	3. Chapter 3

(Thank you so much for the nice reviews! I almost gave up on this Fic because I thought it was going to be a flop. But, apparently I was wrong ^_^ Reviewing this really does help me, it keeps my confidence up in writing more of the story. You, as my reader, are literally my inspiration. So, once again, thanks for the encouragement!)

Chapter Three

Something... was brushing against my cheek. It felt cool and gentle. My first tangible thought that I was able to muster was "Tomoe?" That would be impossible. Why would Tomoe be brushing his fingers against my cheek while I am sleeping? The idea in and of itself seemed so ridiculous that I immediately let it fall away and began to descend back into a deep sleep. But now the gentle touch had wandered outwards and buried itself in my hair, gently tugging at individual strands as they brushed through the tresses. The sensation felt so good that I shivered, forcing myself to waken into consciousness. Slowly opening my eyes to a dimly lit room, I focused upon the being who was hovering over me. Eyes widening, I immediately pushed up and away from them as quickly as possible.

"Mizuki?" Feeling fully awake now, I looked about the room jerkedly, not recognizing anything. Well, anything that I could manage to see. It was very dark, the only source of light was coming from a small lamp off in the farthest corner of the room, set upon an old desk. "Where are we?... and.. Where is Tomoe?" A cold feeling began to pulse through me, going all the way to the ends of my fingertips leaving an electric sensation that slowly ebbed away before another wave of unease went through me. I remembered sitting in the main room, watching TV... then Tomoe walking in and being upset.. then, I fell? I suddenly gasped, not being able to hold it back as I connected the dots within my mind. It was just what I was realizing before I blacked out. Tomoe was not lying or being too suspicious... Mizuki HAD been attempting to dose me. But wait... Why?

Suddenly noticing that Mizuki had kept quiet after I asked him two direct questions, I slowly focused back on his figure again. "Mizuki...?" I could feel my pulse beginning to quicken and he stayed still, kneeling before me with a soft smile on his face.

"Nanami-Chan..." His smile slowly faded as he bowed his head, staring at his hands now clasped in his lap tightly. "I am so sorry." His white hair that was usually swiped to the sides was now hanging in his face, his aura giving off a mix of danger and sorrow all at once. "I always loved you, ever since you saved me from those humans in your school. I will always be grateful to you for taking away my loneliness." He slowly raised his head, his once bright and cheerful eyes now turning cold and dark. "But you made a new feeling arise that I cannot even manage to bear for another day, Nanami-Chan." Slowly he stood up, all I could do was stare at him wide-eyed, attempting to try and grasp the words that echoed about the room. I know that at first, Mizuki wanted to make me his bride. So, in order for him to have wanted that he must have felt something for me... but I thought that was done and over with. I thought.. he was happy with the way things were.

Backing up even more as he began to take one tenuous step after another towards me, a familiar sense of panic I had felt with him once more began taking over all else in my mind. "Mizuki, hold on. Talk to me about this-" Out of nowhere I was being lifted up by the front scruff of my shirt,being pulled to my feet as I felt my back pressed against the wall behind me. I felt the air leave my lungs as I stared up into his jade green eyes, slowly beginning to tremble in his grasp. "I-..I don't understand.."

"I am not going to stay in that shrine for one more second with that disgusting, low-class Yokai, Nanami-Chan. I am not going to bear one more moment of seeing you two sneak glances back and forth between each other, no. You were intended to be mine in the first place when I marked your wrist, but that fox butted in once again and I had to alter my plans." His grip tightened, pulling me closer to him as my body finally began to kick into action. His words weren't making any sense. This wasn't the Mizuki I knew... this was a cold and dangerous stranger standing before me.

My legs kicked out towards him, attempting to hit his shins and force him to drop me. Instead, he pressed himself against me, rendering my legs useless. I desperately reached out with both hands, attempting to push him off me but before I could even touch him, he had let go of the scruff of my shirt and pinned both my wrists against the wall behind me, his nearness reaching the point of putting me on the edge of screaming. "After this deal with Akura-Ou is over, Tomoe will be long gone and I will finally have you all to myself, Nanami-Chan."

My mind desperately grasped at strings to pull, something to say to keep him from going any further. "B-but I thought that you said a relationship between a ShinShi and a Kami was unacceptable... Why would you go against what you believe in so strongly?" I fought against the ache in the back of my throat, tears behind my eyes threatening to be let loose. All I could possibly fathom right now was that the Mizuki I knew was a lie. And... he made some sort of deal with Akura-Ou of all beings...

"Oh, I do still believe very strongly in it Nanami-Chan." He mused in his now sickeningly cheery tone. "But, since my own Master abashed those rules by having fallen in love with her own ShinShi, I feel that it must be okay for me to ignore them as well." His face leaned in closer to mine, his lips hovering just above my own. "Besides, what I feel for you is far stronger than the expectations of tradition, Nanami-Chan..."

A noise of protest escaped my lips just before I felt his mouth press against mine forcefully, and hard. Shock hit me as my body continued it's useless struggling beneath his hold. His lips moved against my own almost out of desperation as if he were searching for something he had not yet found. His fingers now were entwined with my own, acting as if we were a normal couple locked in a lustful embrace. Anger soon replaced the shock, piercing my heart like shattering glass. How dare he... Suddenly biting down on his lip as hard as I could, he quickly pulled away with an expression of surprise on his face. A small trickle of blood already beginning to drip down the side of his chin as he stared at me for a few moments. His voice, now small and quiet broke the silence between us.

"Why would... Why would you do that? I know you have feelings for me, Nanami.. you have just been too afraid to accept them yet. But... why would you bite me like that?" My anger faded quickly as I realized how delusional the snake yokai before me, truly had been. Fear spiked in me once more as I realized how insane he had become. The expression of surprise in his face changed before my eyes into something unholy and dangerous as he suddenly hissed at me, his fangs protruding from his mouth venomously.

"I think you need to learn your place from now on, Nanami-Chan..." His voice grew low and threatening, growing louder as he neared the end of the sentence. Letting go of one of my wrists, he brought his hand back, raising it to strike me. A whimper of fear escaped my throat as I felt myself cowering, closing my eyes and preparing for the blow to my face. My thoughts emanating outward, one single name. 'Tomoe!'

" I think that is enough time alone with her for now, Mizuki. After all, our deal is not yet complete." A cold and calm voice suddenly stopped everything in it's tracks as the sound of a door behind Mizuki opened, letting more light into the room. I recognized the voice before even seeing his face.

"Akura-Ou..." I managed to whisper, as darkness once again took over me as I felt myself go limp in Mizuki's grasp.

…...

(Four days ago)

"MIZUKI!" Tomoe yelled as he held the now unconscious Nanami in his arms. That snake did not even give him the chance to recuperate from this morning. He had managed to poison her this time, right under his nose. An annoying pang of guilt hit him as he held Nanami's limp, small frame in his arms. He should have expected this... why could he not even do his job as her ShinShi to keep her safe half the time?

This time was different though. Everything that had happened in the past where he was not able to keep Nanami from danger, it was something that could be fixed. But this... Nanami's own second ShinShi had betrayed her. This was beyond the lowest of the low. And now he was going to pay. The Snake had to die.

He stormed out of the shrine, eyes scanning every nook and cranny of the house before walking outside, still holding Nanami possessively. "Mizuki, get your ass over here right now! I have finally caught you, and it is time to send you back to the bottom of that godforsaken swamp. For good!" Just as he was about to walk down the steps and search the grounds for that damned snake, he felt something hard make contact with the back of his head.

An inaudible noise escaped his lips as he felt himself falling to his knees, doing everything within his power to keep Nanami from falling to the ground. Two sets of shoes entered his now blurry vision as he felt Nanami being lifted out of his arms swiftly. Attempting to snatch her back as little black dots began to overtake his vision, his eyes widened as her captor stepped away, now fully in his vision. "Mizuki... How could you do this to your own Master?"

A chuckle, right beside him broke out into laughter as he felt someone grab him by the hair and force his face upwards, a slightly familiar face now fully in his view as he felt himself falling backwards. 'That boy... the one who disguised himself as a human and entered the land of the dead with Nanami... what is he doing here? Why is he...' His thought collapsed into a jumbled mess as the darkness around him began to close in swiftly.

"I've finally found you, Wild Fox. It is time I exact my revenge upon you after so many years... soon you will suffer even more than I did."


	4. Chapter 4

(Thank you so much for the reviews once again! It builds my confidence to keep getting ideas for the next chapter! Here is chapter four, all bright and shiny and new XD )

"-I kick him?"

"No, you idiot. I do not want the wild fox to wake up even more pissed off than he usually is."

"But that makes it more fun."

Two annoyingly familiar voices rang in my ears as I began to become conscious. The second voice was correct, I did feel very angry. But... why was I angry this time? I inhaled sharply as a sudden stabbing pain clawed at me through the back of my head, making me sit up quickly before I even opened my eyes. I could feel the dirt slide beneath me as I put my head down, clutching it tightly and attempting to push away the pain with sheer will. I had not woken up on the dirt for so long, I forgot how much my body would ache when I came to. An angry moan hissed out between my clenched teeth as I realized how much Nanami would scold me for this.

"Ooooh, look at the blood on the back of his head, Tengu. It looks like he has already gotten into a fight before I could even make it here."

That damned Dragon King, Ryu-oh would not keep his mouth shut. What did he mean by blood? I did not get into any fights! But wait... One of my hands slowly crept towards the back of my skull, and sure enough, there was something crusty and hard stuck in my hair at the center of the back of my head... Well, that explained why I had woken up in the dirt. Someone knocked me out quite well. But why? Only someone who played dirty tricks would pull something that lowly.

"Yes, that does look like it must have hurt. I wonder how long he has been out... Say, Tomoe, do you know where Nanami is by any chance? Ryu-Oh and I were supposed to meet her here today for the plans of the next festival at Mikage Shrine but we cannot find her anywhere."

Ignoring the pain completely now, my head snapped up to turn and look in the direction of Ryu-Oh and that damned crow. The evening sunlight made my eyes ache, and I felt dizzy. "What are you talking about? You were not supposed to be here until the weekend and it is only Wednesday."

Scowling, I slowly began to push myself up into a standing position so I did not have to keep looking up at their curious faces. "And what the hell are you? Blind? Nanami is inside.." As I began to speak, I looked in the direction of the shrine as if to prove a point and show them that the lights were on, the door was shut and you could hear that annoying "TV" on at all hours of the day when she was not at school. But... the door was swung right open, and it was dark inside. There was not even the sound of her munching away on her snacks, or her light snoring coming from her bedroom. The shrine seemed dead, and miasma had somehow crept back onto the grounds.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ryu-oh and Kurama glance at each other as their auras changed from amusingly curious to a darker shade of worry. Finally looking back at me, Kurama stepped forward while Ryu-Oh stayed back, arms crossed as he scowled and glared as if out of annoyance.

"Tomoe, it's Saturday... if you still think it is Wednesday you have been out for over four days.. Nanami is not here. We called for her, and entered the house before even attempting to wake you up... What happened here?" I could hear Kurama's voice waver as he said Nanami's name. Which was strange because the damned Tengu hardly ever showed emotion other than pride and stupidity. He had to be lying... this was a trick. What he was saying was impossible. There is no way I would be knocked out for that long. And I would never allow Nanami out of my sight. I am her ShinShi, it is my duty to protect her. Besides, who would want to take Nanami awa-'

My eyes widened as the memories suddenly came flying into my vision, making me take a step back as painful realization hit me over and over. "Mizuki... he didn't... I was hoping Nanami was right about him... I went and did the chores and... they took her. That dead boy..."

"You let your woman get hurt, Kitsune. I am not only disappointed in you, but disgusted. That human kami does not stand a chance even against her own kind, and you allowed her to be taken. I do not know the details, but I do not even want to know at this point. Fix your mess." Ryu-oh's voice rang out into the slowly darkening evening light as all I could do was breathe. And god it hurt...

How could I have allowed this to happen. Ryu-oh was right. Yes, she survived in the land of the dead, survived many trials so far but that was out of luck and with the help from others. Mizuki betrayed us... he sneaked in like the snake he is and was patient enough for us to get comfortable enough with him and his lies until the opportunity arose and he took her. But he was not alone... that boy... the way he talked, it sounded so familiar but I could just not remember how I knew him. He went into the land of the dead with Nanami, survived by using a piece of her hair he cut off and tied it around his wrist. But why was he down there in the first place. How did he and Nanami connect?

"Tomoe.." I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder as I was pulled out of my horror. Staring into the calm eyes of Kurama who was now standing in front of me, with Ryu-oh behind him, his arms still crossed angrily. "We have to find Nanami. Now."

…...

I felt warm... and safe. I could hear someone's heartbeat in my ears and it was soothing. Soft silk from a Kimono pressed against my cheek as I felt my body being cradled in someone's arms. I wanted it to be Tomoe... I wanted to open my eyes and look up to see his purple irises staring back into my own with that look of annoyance, and care. But sadly, this time I remembered everything as I came to, once again. Wind rustled my hair, whistling past us, and I could tell we were high up in the air. Not in an airplane, like I wished. But from the feeling of being carried on the wind, winding through the air, I knew we were on Mizuki's snake. I wanted to keep my eyes closed forever... no, I wanted to fall back asleep and not wake up until everything was over with. Until I had a chance to escape. I did not want to face two men, one of which I trusted with my very being for over a year. And the other one... Akura-oh... I knew he had evil plans, but I truly did believe with every fiber of my soul that he was becoming a good person.. the disappointment and the betrayal rang throughout my body in waves of pain that made it hard not to cringe. Tears once again threatened to let loose, but I refused to allow them to see that not only was I now awake, but that I was a weak human kami.

"Akura-oh!" Mizuki's whiny voice made me jump a little from how near it sounded. "Why can't I hold Nanami-Chan? She is my betrothed, I should be the one to hold her. Not you!"

A deep rumble sounded in the ear I had pressed to my captors chest. It almost sounded like a growl before he spoke. "Keep your mouth shut, you pathetic snake. It was not even agreed that you could mark her as your betrothed before the deal had been done completely, but you went behind my back and did it anyways. You are not allowed to even touch her until I say so. In fact, you are lucky I have not killed you already and used Nanami for my own purposes other than needing her to guide me through the land of the dead."

Upon hearing that, I could not help but tremble a little at not only how scary Akura-oh sounded, but also at the fact that if I ever do manage to escape either one of them, the other one will still have his uses for me. What is that English quote? "From the frying pan into... the fire"?" The saying in and of itself fit this situation perfectly.

"Hmph! Not fair... I only marked her because she was asleep for so long that I thought I might as well do it. I had nothing better to do. Besides! You cannot kill me, you need me to help you with Nanami." I could hear Mizuki's pathetic attempt at an excuse. He always did that... I always thought it was kind of cute, but now even the sound of his voice made me want to go deaf. I never felt this strong of hate for someone... it amazed me how within such a short time, my affection for Mizuki had turned into repulsion.

A sudden whisper in my ear made my eyes open immediately, widening at the nearness of the voice. "I know you are awake, Nanami. You do not need to keep pretending."

I could smell smoke and soap as Akura-oh's soft black hair brushed against my face, as he was suddenly leaning over me, his lips practically brushing against my ear as all I could do was lay in his arms completely frozen, inhaling his scent, not able to move.

"H-hey! What are you doing to Nanami-chan!" Mizuki sounded even closer as Akura-oh sat back up as quickly as he had leaned down over me. I looked up into his cold gaze as he held my stare with his own. A small smile tugged at his lips, making time feel as if it was slowing. What was going on? Why did he have to do it that way? Was he trying to agitate Mizuki for the fun of it? I felt his hold on me tighten as another face suddenly came into view. Mizuki's happy smile practically filled my vision as he looked down at me. I suddenly felt the urge to puke.

"Nanami-Chan! You are finally awake!" He sounded so sickeningly happy, I turned my face away and hid it against Akura-Oh's chest. It seemed silly, and didn't really even make sense to me but even though Akura-Oh was scary, and even though I heard that threat just a few moments ago. He was not the one who forced himself on me, he was not the one who betrayed me like Mizuki did. He always warned me he was dangerous, yet he still had not done me any physical harm. Mizuki... he tried to hit me. He would have if Akura-Oh had not interrupted when he did. So yes, they both had kidnapped me but until Akura did in fact do something as terrible as Mizuki, or even worse, I was going to try and stay closer to him.

I could feel more than hear Akura-Oh chuckle pulling me even closer against him as a sound of shock escaped Mizuki's lips right behind me. "Nanami-chan! What are you doing?! You are my betrothed and you turned away from me into the arms of another man.." His childish voice suddenly turned cold and angry, making me squeeze my eyes shut, imagining what he had attempted to do the last time his voice sounded like that.

"You cannot make a woman love you, Snake. In fact, the more you attempt to force her, the more she will cower and rebel. I told you this was not the way you should have gone about it. But you insisted and offered me a deal I could not refuse..." Suddenly someone grabbed me by my hair and pulled my head back. I stared up into Akura-Oh's eyes once again, but now I could feel my tears stinging behind my eyes from the pain and the fear as he held me in place.

"I am not someone to hide behind, Nanami. You are not just here to help me into the land of the dead to get my body back. I swore upon the thousands of years while being trapped in that godforsaken place that I would exact my revenge upon that Wild Fox. And the best way to truly torment him, is to torment you."

I watched with numbing fear as Akura-oh reached towards me with his other hand, grabbing me by the front of my shirt and ripping it open, exposing my chest with amusement. I could hear Mizuki gasp behind me, and call my name as all I could see before me, was the scene Mizuki had shown me when I had just began to know him. He took me back to the past, to see Tomoe when he was a wild fox and worked with Akura-Oh... He had done the exact same thing to Yukiji when I transported into the past and saw what he used to be through her own eyes. Even though he did that.. he still hid me from Akura-Oh. He still saved me. Is Akura-Oh slowly becoming good, like Tomoe? Or... was there a true reason why Tomoe shielded Yukiji from Akura in the first place... As I continued to stare into Akura's eyes, it was like looking into two people at the same time. Tomoe... and someone darker... someone who should never have been allowed to come back into this world.

Suddenly I felt myself being pulled from Akura's hold, he let me go without a second glance, almost looking as if he had grown bored... or was that a flash of guilt I saw? I was now in Mizuki's hold as he quickly pulled my shirt closed, and tried to calm me down, talking about how it was going to be okay and that we were almost there. But I was no longer thinking or comprehending anything anymore. Akura-Oh said he would not let Mizuki touch me. But he changed his mind so quickly, I wonder why? Why do I still feel like it would be safer with Akura than Mizuki? What is wrong with me? Was I being intuitive, and knew that Akura-Oh's heart was kinder than Mizuki's even though he just did that? Was he just trying to push me away for fear of my own safety from himself or... am I just hoping for all of that to be true? I shielded my eyes with my hands, and bowed my head as Mizuki ran his fingers through my hair. A sob wracked my body, and I tried so hard to hold the next one back that my throat stung. I spotted the familiar glowing mark upon my wrist that Mizuki must have given me when I was out. Just like the time when he kissed me and became my Shinshi without even asking for permission. Everything I thought I knew was falling apart. I just wanted to be back home to the Shrine... with Tomoe. I had to get away before something truly bad happened.


	5. Chapter 5

(Once again, thank you for the reviews! I am so so happy everyone is enjoying my writing ^_^ I appreciate the reviewer who caught my typo in one of the chapters. I fixed it and I do appreciate any kind of constructive criticism like that. I usually do read out loud the whole thing before I submit a new chapter, but sometimes I get so caught up in my own writing, that I will occasionally miss something. If anyone see's something that pulled them out of the story because it was spelled incorrectly or worded in the wrong way, please do let me know so I can make it better for you and the other readers. I am very glad that every review so far has been complimentary, or someone begging for the next chapter to come out soon. I am at your service, but remember, just one kind review like that really does spark up my confidence for another chapter. So keep in mind that if you want the story to continue, or at least stay as good as you all say that it is, your kind words really do bring out the best in me. Here is the next chapter, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it. This one is extra long ;p)

"Get out of Nanami's underwear drawer NOW Tengu!" For the third time that day, I had to drag that damned crow out of Nanami's room. I was about ready to unleash my kitsunebi upon him again, and this time, Nanami would not be there to save him. "It's about the only GOOD thing about her being gone..." I mumbled to myself as the Tengu struggled out of my grip in the hallway, straightening up and glaring at me.

"I told you, we need to look for any type of evidence of where the snake might have taken her, you damn wild fox." I suddenly whirled and grabbed him by the front of his collar.

"And what kind of 'Evidence' are you going to find while sorting through Nanami's underwear, Crow?" Just as I was about to have my fist connect with his face, I heard someone clear their throat behind me.

"Now, now, children. This is not a time to be fighting, let us hurry up and figure out where they have taken the human Kami so I can get off this milk scented land."The Tengu and I both turned to look at Ryu-oh who was leaning against a doorway, smirking at us as he nonchalantly held one of Nanami's bra's in one of his hands as if it were a souvenir. After a few moments of silence, the Tengu and I thought as one as we both let go of each other and lurched towards him. I, taking Nanami's bra out of his hold, and the Tengu pushing him down onto the floor. Both of us standing above him with our arms crossed across our chests and scowling. "As if you have any room to talk!"

A sudden weary feeling took over me and I turned away, tossing the article of clothing back into Nanami's room and heading for the kitchen to sit down. I heard Ryu-Oh yelling profanities at us both, but I had no care to deal with it anymore. I was tired. My kitsunebi had been out all night searching for my master, and not one had come back with any sort of good news to tell me. She was not at the under-water domain that Mizuki had taken her to the first time, although, I had not expected him to be THAT stupid and end up taking her there again anyways. We found where the dead boy resided, but his naïve mother had no idea where he had gone. We searched all of Tokyo, the surrounding villages, everywhere we have ever been. But nothing.

My mind had gone around in circles over and over again. The only thing I could put together at this point, was that somehow, Mizuki must have made some sort of agreement or alliance with that dead boy in order to carry out his plans to attain Nanami. But why THAT boy? What was so special or powerful about him that not only convinced Mizuki that he could make his plan a success, but what part did he play on this earth. It's true, he is an anomaly. The first time I smelled him, he reeked of long overdue death. There was a darkness with him as well... strange and foreign, yet at the same time familiar. Like something out of a dream I had forgotten long ago.

I pinched the bridge of my nose between two fingers, my head bowed over the table I now sat at. If I could just... remember. Why was it so hard? I usually had a very good memory, and I knew there was something about that dead boy that was very important, but why can I not shake the feeling that my loss of memory has nothing to do with the passing of time, but something more along the lines of a spell or a curse?

I could feel something building inside of me, like a damn about to burst. As a flash of white hot pain tore through the front of my brain, an annoying clacking of fancy shoes smacked against the hardwood floor of the kitchen, approaching me with unbridled and painful confidence. Squeezing my eyes shut, the feeling of something about to break within my mind eased away as quickly as it came. Raising my head and glaring up at the kohl-lined eyes of the so called 'fallen angel' I growled out of irritation. More to myself than to him, in all honesty. "What do you want now? We have nothing. No evidence of where they might have gone. For all we know, she could be lying dead somewhere... or worse." The words left my mouth before my mind had fully grasped what I was saying. My stomach clenched, feeling suddenly nauseous at the thought of what could be worse than death for a woman.. for Nanami.

"Before you go all out beserker on me, wild fox, and burn down the entire city looking for her, someone is here who I think you might like to talk to." The crow spoke calmly, sitting down beside me at the table as well as if he were about to interview a possible new employee. That god damned Tengu... how can he be so patient and cool at a time like this... I thought he cared about Nanami more than that, even if the thought of it used to make my blood boil. We aren't getting anywh-!

"My dear and handsome Tomoe! What a surprise it was to happen upon Mikage's beautiful shrine, not only to find the C+ Human Kami gone, but the miasma has gotten to the state of revolting. Come now, you should not allow it to fall while she is away, for however long!" My head snapped in the direction of the fake feminine voice coming from the doorway. His voice came off as carefree, yet at the same time snooty.

"O-...Otohiko?" I could not help but stare with wide eyes at the ginger haired man, dressed in frilly women clothing, standing with perfect posture and pose in the center of the kitchen. He had a smile on his face as if he were exchanging casual banter during tea time. Blinking, not able to make sense of why he would be here, I stared at him in silent shock.

"What's with the surprised face? You usually never seem bothered to see me. But at least you were polite, your lack of a master being present does not allow you to treat guests so poorly. I would like some oolong tea, if you have it. Preferably within the next ten minutes. "

Kurama, seeming to be in better grasp of the situation, pushed back from the table, standing gracefully and bowing his head in Otohiko's direction. "Forgive the miserable wild fox, Sir, he has not been entirely functional ever since he woke up on the dirt. I am not sure if he is acting this way due to the blow to his head, or if he is just upset about his masters disappearance. Please allow me to make tea for us while you make yourself comfortable." Without a second glance in either of our directions, the Tengu walked over to the counter and began to look for the tea.

"My, my, what a well mannered, striking young Tengu, even if he is a runaway from Mt. Kurama." Otohiko openly admired the boys backside as he continued to silently prepare the tea. "If it weren't for him, Tomoe-Dono, I might not have even told you what I was sent here for in the first place." Removing his deplorable scarf from his neck, he sat down in the chair Kurama had been in only moments ago, putting his things on the table and leaning back elegantly, opening one eye and peeking at me with a mischievous, knowing look.

Looking back at him with what I knew was a bored and disinterested expression, I leaned my elbow on the table, setting my chin in my hand as my tail swished back and forth impatiently. "As you can see, Nanami-Sama is not here, Otohiko. Therefore, anything that has been commanded from the head kami, cannot go underway at the moment." If he was here just to test Nanami some more to prove to the other gods that she was a valuable human Kami, then he would be disappointed. He was wasting his time, sitting here chatting it up with Kurama and himself. The more he thought of it, the more quickly his tail swished back and forth behind him angrily.

A sudden laugh rang out from Otohiko, as if he heard the best gossip of the month. "I am not here to speak to Nanami, my dear Tomoe. I am here to relay a message to you and your little squad of searchers that we know where that ridiculous white snake and the dead human vessel are heading."

The kitchen suddenly went quiet, even Kurama had stopped setting the tea cups in the tray to carry over. A noise from the doorway finally broke the quiet that had settled in the room as Ryu-oh had finally stopped pouting and decided to join them. "Eh? What is the tranny saying?"

Otohiko stood with a flourish, dramatic as ever. "I am saying, that we have been keeping tabs on Nanami-sama as well. And the council of the gods are leaving it in YOUR incapable hands to go and find her immediately. They have almost arrived to the same entrance to the land of the dead that you pulled her and that slimy dead boy out of last time, wild fox." Walking up beside Kurama, and downing the glass of the scalding hot tea in one go, he slammed the cup down and pushed his way past Ryu-oh, his nose up in the air. "If you do not stop them from reuniting Akura-Oh's soul with his body, not only will the human AND spirit worlds pay for it dearly, but you, the snake, AND Nanami-Sama can spend the rest of your lives in the land of the dead, paying for the destruction you allowed to bring back after so many centuries."

The door slammed and once again they were left in silence. "Akura-Oh?" I heard Kurama mutter from the counter, turning to face them both with a look of concentration set upon his pale features. "I remember hearing legends about him when I was a little boy on Mt. Kurama... but.. he died didn't he? Destroyed by his own partner. A wild Kitsune now that I think about it..."

I could feel the whole world around me shatter as I suddenly stood, knocking the table over in the process because of how quickly I reacted. Ryu-Oh shouted in the background, but all I could do was stare straight ahead, memories pervading my mind like a multitude of snakes delving their way into the light. No... Akura-Oh.. Nanami cannot be with him... it can't be him... if it is, my master would suffer so horribly...

Without even knowing what I was doing, I ran for the door, the Tengu and the Dragon king both exclaiming in surprise. "Nanami... I'm coming. Please, please be okay..."

…...

Mizuki had managed to wrestle a jacket out of a small bag he must have packed some of my clothes in before he and Akura-Oh had taken me away from Mikage shrine. Quickly helping me put it on, whether I wanted him to help me or not, he zipped and buttoned it all the way up, covering most of what had been torn and exposed by Akura-Oh's seemingly delicate hands. Nausea had been trying to creep up on me ever since I had awoken, and no matter how hard I was trying to fight it, I could feel the acids in my stomach churning more and more as the serpent we were riding upon twisted through the air at a quick pace. I wanted to jump... Anything to get off this miserable ride. Anything to get away from them. I leaned over the side a bit, and stared down into the white of the clouds below us, feeling my stomach clench in response to the very thought.

I had fallen off of this same snake when me and Mizuki were heading here for the yearly gathering of the gods. But I somehow landed on some holy isle. Did I really want to risk my fate, and hope that something along those lines would happen to me again? Would I really be so lucky the second time around? Sitting up straight, I weighed the two options I had at the moment in my mind, trying to think ahead of what I would do if I did survive the fall... It is not as if they would keep going. If anything, they would follow me down and catch me before I even had a chance to get up and run (if that option was possible after having survived such a fall) They would probably tie me up or knock me out again... Shivering at the idea of not being able to even attempt to defend myself from the wandering hands of my captors, I decided to wait for a more opportune moment. A moment where I could at least get a head start run from them... and not die from falling from such a terrible height.

Seeing as I was stuck on a rather long and gigantic snake with two loathsome yokai, I had attempted to keep as far of a distance between the both of them now that I was fully awake. But it was rather hard, seeing as Mizuki was sitting in front of me, turning to look at me or trying to start a conversation every other second or so, and Akura-Oh was sitting not too far off behind me, his hands hidden within the sleeves of his kimono as he stared off into the distance, completely ignoring my presence ever since he had allowed Mizuki to pull me away from him. I knew he still held the piece of my silken pajamas in his hands though... I did not know if this disturbed me, or confused me more. I swear I saw a glint of guilt or self-hatred in those dark eyes of his as he looked down at me, with my chest exposed to him. It shouldn't have surprised me as much as it did... I know that when I was inside Yukiji's body in the past, when Tomoe had done the exact same thing, I did not even cry. Yes, I was afraid. But I knew deep down that the Tomoe I now knew was nothing like that. But Akura-Oh was not Tomoe. I sensed something wild and dark within him... yet something soft, and kind was buried deep within as well. Something new that I think even he did not entirely know was there yet.

Shaking the thoughts from my head for the millionth time, even though it had not even been an hour that has passed since I had managed to calm myself from the rattling moment, I stared up at Mizuki's back once again, attempting to keep down the bile wanting to rise in the back of my throat. I would rather look at Mizuki's back, than turn around and stare down Akura-Oh face-to-face. If he had been wanting to frighten me, I had to admit that it worked. I clenched my arms around my waist tightly, as if trying to hold all the pieces of me in place that wanted to fall apart. Closing my eyes and taking deep breaths, I mustered up every ounce of will inside of me and did my best to clear my mind. 'Don't think of where we are going... don't think of what might happen... don't think about Tomoe... just don't think at all for a moment.' I ran these thoughts over and over in my mind, but I could not contain the flashes floating up to meet me from my recent memories. Like vibrantly colored, flashing neon signs, I saw Tomoe's face as he stood above me in the living room before I passed out from Mizuki's poison... I saw Mizuki's face staring down at me as I laid on the floor, waking up and realizing what was happening... I saw Akura-Oh's sneer as he looked down at me, the moment before he ripped my kimo-

"Nanami-Chan... Are you feeling alright? You look really, really pale all of a sudden. More so than before, even." I opened my eyes to see Mizuki having had turned around and scooted up right next to me, his enormous jade green eyes peering at me with disgusting concern. Without a second to spare, the nausea hit me full force, making me suddenly lean to the side of the snake upon which I was sitting, and spit up the bile in my stomach. I knew it was disgusting, and for some reason, even though I hated them both and should not have cared, what felt even worse than choking up the liquid from my stomach, was the fact that they got to witness me in such a weak state. I usually never get motion sickness, but then again, I have only ridden this ridiculous thing once, and fell off of it before we could even arrive at our destination at the time.

I could hear Mizuki softly say my name, "Nanami-Chan..." Hating the sound of his voice laced with care and concern, I coughed up even more bile, feeling the world around me beginning to spin as my body could not take it anymore. I guess I was going to fall off of this thing whether I wanted to or not, now. As I felt myself slipping off, and the world around me fading to black for the third time in a row, a pair of thin, yet strong arms suddenly wrapped around my waist, pulling me back up into a sitting position, before my body unwillingly fell back against the familiar sound of silk, and the scent of soap and smoke. I had finally finished vomiting up the bile, and now laid back against the chest of the one person whose arms I had been torn away from only but a little while ago. For some reason, I had not blacked out yet. I still felt extremely light headed, and I could barely open my eyes to gaze up at the blindingly blue sky, and part of someone's face just within my vision. Black hair whipped about lazily in the wind, as stormy dark eyes peered at me with a look I could not quite place due to my current state. A cool hand brushed my bangs back from my forehead, and pressed against my skin. The coldness felt good... I wished it would just stay there. I knew that my skin must be practically on fire, and I could feel another growl rumble against the back of my head as I laid limply against Akura-Oh. A whimper escaped my lips, thinking that the anger was towards me, and I was ready to feel some kind of pain or have more of my clothing ripped away, but instead I heard a low voice lash out in the direction of someone who was now scooting towards me from the front. I felt hands rest on my thighs as someone else began to lean over me, but then they disappeared just as quickly as I heard a deafening crack.

"WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU FED HER, SNAKE!"

The wind rushed around us, as time suddenly stopped. My eyes fluttered open in shock, as I managed to get a glimpse of Mizuki, his hands raised in defense, but obviously too late. Upon seeing a scartlet red mark beginning to blossom along Mizuki's jaw, my eyes widened.. Akura-Oh had hit him... he didn't slap him, he didn't push him away. He literally had punched him with every ounce of strength that his human body would allow. My heart pounded in my ears as Mizuki slowly lowered his arms, the shock in his eyes so evident that he almost looked as if he were about to burst out crying. And not the fake crying he usually does, he literally looked shaken... scared.

"I-I... I couldn't feed her. She has been out for so long, the only time she woke up, before I could... could feed her, she had passed out again. I w-was going to let her eat when we arrived at-"

"You and your god damned excuses are beginning to wear at my patience, you slithering coward. How in the hell are we going to get into the land of the dead with Nanami if she dies before we even arrive!" I could feel his heavy breath rise and fall, my own body moving with him as I noticed his arms were still circled around my waist, holding me there tightly... securely. I tried to tell myself that it was just because he did not want me to fall for fear of him losing the key to getting his body back but...

I began trembling a little bit due to everything that had happened so quickly in such a short amount of time. Nausea was still gnawing at my stomach, but now that Akura-Oh had yelled at Mizuki about when I had last eaten, I finally recognized that the sickness was because I was so hungry it was making me sick. The thought had not even occurred to me. How long had I been out? Four days? I did not know for sure, seeing as I did not find it worth asking either of my captors. As I tried to piece everything back together in my mind, my body still shook uncontrollably as Akura-Oh reached around me with one arm, sliding his hand underneath the bend of my knees, and pulled me onto his lap completely, now in the same position I was in when I had awoken in his arms. But he was not looking down at me anymore. He held me in such a way that one arm was wrapped protectively around my shoulders while the other was still under my knees. He rested his chin on top of my head, then buried his nose in my hair, the sensation of him inhaling my scent sending chills up my spine even as I shook.

"It will be okay, Nanami." I heard such a faint whisper that I was not entirely sure if I might have just imagined it. It surely could not have been Akura-Oh...

I heard angry muttering up ahead, also floating through the wind and reaching my ears. I could not decipher it, but my eyes opened and slid in the direction of Mizuki, whose back was facing us once again. But... for some reason I could sense that something in Mizuki was changing even more so than I had already witnessed. A dark aura was coming off of him that was so strong, I quickly looked away, squeezing my eyes shut and prayed to every Kami I could think of that I would make it out of this alive, and make it home to Tomoe safely.


	6. Chapter 6

(I apologize to all the reviews asking for more updates and wondering why I was taking so long. I have been in Scotland for a week and just got back from a rather long layover in New York ((21 hours to be precise)) It was really fun, but I am happy to see that so many people are enjoying my fanfic this much. Before I begin on this chapter, I had a review that asked why Nanami doesn't use her tsureki and command Mizuki to stop? Honestly, this had slipped my mind entirely. But I think it was because of this; if a Kami's familiar betrays their Master in such a dreadful way, wouldn't you think that the bond would break between them? There is no way such an important connection would be allowed to stay that way if the familiar would be so willing to go that far in betrayal. For all Nanami knows, Mizuki's bond with her as a familiar could have broken as soon as he began to plot out kidnapping Nanami. Mizuki is known for being dramatic, he could have very easily faked it the few times Nanami might have demanded something of him. But anyways, there is my spotty excuse for that, I apologize for not having explained it in the story up until now.)

As soon as I ran out the doorway of the shrine, I headed straight for Mikage's vehicle. But stopped short as soon as I realized it would be hours until the sun went down, and the vehicle would only run on darkness. Cursing under my breath, I decided that I would have to take the long way there. I hated the recent technology and mechanics of humans. Some would say that it was astounding what they have managed to do within the past century or so, but it just annoyed me. Everything man made was unreliable compared to magic because it could all break down so easily from the smallest thing, and they were also still very slow compared to magic. But I was not willing to wait for a few hours and sit on my hands to get to Nanami. Even though airplanes were slow in my opinion, I would still get there faster on one of those rather than waiting to use the night carrier.

I began to head down the long steps of Mt. Mikage, keeping a quick pace; the airport as my next destination. I could hear the pounding of feet a ways off behind me, and someone huffing and puffing as they ran. It was probably Ryu-oh, not entirely used to running on land. I heard cursing as well behind me, as he fumbled and stumbled as he went. But the Crows voice rang out over the whiny Dragon kings muttering. "Where the hell are we going, Tomoe? What was that weird guy talking about back there?" A pair of footsteps behind me quickened their pace as I suddenly felt the crows presence now beside me. I glanced at him for a split second as I kept my pace, Ryu-oh now full fledged pissed that he was the one falling behind. The Tengu had an expression of concentrated concern and curiosity as he kept up with me easily.

"What does a centuries old yokai have to do with Nanami? What the hell is going on here?" I suddenly stopped in my tracks, grabbing the tengu by the front of his shirt before he could fully stop. Ryu-oh bumped into us both with an 'Oomph!' looking angry and confused all at once.

"We do not have time for explanations and stories long ago forgotten, Tengu! We need to head to the opening to the land of the dead before Akura-ou can get Nanami inside. Unless something has already happened to her... " I dropped him, feeling all my strength and confidence leave me as if someone had pulled it from my very being. Flashes of old memories kept surging through my mind. The raidings of villages how he left no one alive... the brothels... Yukiji... I almost felt as if I would vomit from all the blood and pain he caused in more ways than just war. "The fact is.. Nanami could already very well be dead. Or at least, very close to dying in his hands."

"Then tell us where we are going and what we will be facing, Kitsune. We are Nanami's friends whether you accept it or not and we will do all we can to keep her safe, but you are making it very difficult."

I raised my head and glanced between the two yokai standing before me. One from the skies, and one from the sea. Although their expressions ranged in confusion and worry, it was true that they both had been loyal to Nanami in their own ways. And I would need help with overtaking Akura-ou... all the help I could get in fact. Sighing and straightening up as hope began to burn through me once again, I nodded quickly. "Fine. We are heading to the airport to get to Nanami. We will head straight to the land of the head Kami, and hopefully get there either before they do, or meet them when they arrive. If they do manage to get inside before us, we will have to follow them in some way... I really hope that is not the case though, seeing as only a true kami can step foot inside the land of the dead and not rot away as soon as they enter. But the dead bo- Akura-ou was able to go inside. We will have to figure out how he did it as we head there just in case we do not make it in time. Akura-ou is exactly as Kurama described him. An ancient yokai who destroyed whatever he came upon. If he finds his body and reunites with it... well, let's just say life as we know it will very soon become a living hell for both human and yokai alike."

Staring at them both with a hard expression, only being willing to say that much so, far they both stood for a few moments taking it all in before glancing at each other and nodding slowly.

"I will explain further once we are on our way, but right now speed is our biggest enemy and we need to get there as soon as possible." They both nodded once again, their confusion having cleared somewhat and their expressions darkening. Without another word, I once again began to sprint down the steps, even Ryu-oh's complaining and panting having ceased immediately. It felt as if we were all of one mind at the moment. Get Nanami.

…...

Although I desperately wished I could fall asleep, or even black out again to escape the waves of nausea that kept hitting me, it was of no use. I was still curled up in the same position on Akura-ou's lap for who knows how long. I kept my eyes squeezed shut and did not dare look up at him again for fear of how he might react to it. I honestly did not want to be held by him again.. Yes, I felt safe strangely enough, but I knew that that was a false hope and I had to ignore it. I have to push aside the thoughts in my mind that whispered over and over that there was good in him, and just expect his evil side to act from here on out. If I let my guard down again, and put my faith in him, it would hurt too much the next time and I would break. So instead, here I sit, doing everything I can to keep from trembling as he holds me in a seemingly gentle embrace.

Mizuki had not spoken a word since Akura-ou had hit him and confronted him. His back faced us as he stared straight ahead. I was rather glad that I could not see his face... something was seriously wrong with him. An aura that rattled me to the bone was wafting off of him so strongly that it almost made me cringe. I wondered what could possibly be going on in his mind... he was a stranger to me now. Having betrayed me in almost every way possible it was like getting splashed in the face with freezing cold water whenever my mind wandered back to what he had done to get to this point.

It was a rather difficult position in all honesty. I did not want to turn my head towards Akura for fear of him taking it as me relying on him to keep me safe. And I did not want to turn my head and stare at Mizuki. So I just laid here... my face turned upwards but my eyes squeezed shut, attempting to block out the world around me and trying to take everything that had happened in without crying or throwing up again. Honestly, things were not looking well for me at the moment. I kept wondering how close we were to arriving. Yeah, going back into the land of the dead to find Akura-ou's body was the last thing I wanted on my agenda, but it was beginning to look better and better in the awkward situation.

I suddenly felt Akura-ou's grip on me tighten as he shook me gently. Slowly, I opened my eyes and stared up at him, feeling fear stab through me as I looked into those dark eyes, half hidden behind smooth locks of black hair staring down at me calmly. "Nanami, you do not have to keep your eyes closed. We are almost there, and once we arrive, I will give you something to eat before we continue." I blinked up at him as he spoke to me. It sounded as if he was trying a little too hard to sound uncaring, but there was something in his voice that crept through with concern. 'No...no. Stop thinking that way. You do not know who Akura-ou is. You know his past as a yokai, and you know him as nothing more than a creepy acquaintance now. Stop searching for the good in him.' My mind's defenses rose up, as I mentally forced myself to nod, more so in response to myself than to him.

Sure enough, I could feel the Snake upon which we were riding slowly lower down further and further until we were beneath the clouds. It made my stomach churn even more, but I swallowed hard and did everything I could to keep from dry heaving as I kept telling myself that it would all be over with as soon as we touched ground. But it wouldn't be over with... this was just the beginning of something really really bad.

As soon as I was about to sit up and lean over Akura-ou's lap to puke once again, the twisting and winding suddenly stopped. We had finally reached the land of the head Kami. I felt myself being lifted, and set on the ground rather quickly, the world spinning around me for a few moments as I tried to look around me and feel my stomach settle quickly as I sat on the blessed solid ground. I could feel myself laying down, wanting to sleep. I felt really weak and using all my strength to keep from vomiting had sapped me of whatever willpower I had left. I felt my cheek touch cool soft grass, and I gripped the long tufts in my fists as my body began to fall asleep. I could hear shuffling around me, as I could only guess that Akura-ou and Mizuki were taking everything they had brought with them, off of Mizuki's snake. I felt pathetic.. I should be thinking of a way to get away from them right now... not taking a nap in the grass... but these thoughts slipped away as sleep and nightmares soon came upon me like a crashing wave.

…...

"Nanami..." I could hear someone's calm voice breaking through the scene playing out before me. Mizuki had locked the door so no one could get in. But he had locked himself in with me... why was he taking his clothes off and looking at me that way?

I was backed up against a wall again, but the fear in me was so excruciating that I could not breathe. He was walking towards me … don't let him touch you...

"NANAMI!" I suddenly shot up, being pulled out of my dream as if someone had gripped me with their own two hands and pulled me out. I could feel the grass beneath me as I was now sitting up, my eyes having snapped open and suddenly I was less than an inch from Akura-ou's face. He had his hands on my shoulders and he was looking at me hard, searching my eyes as if checking to see if I still had my sanity. I could hear someone behind me step closer, and I immediately froze, knowing who it was. Who I had just dreamt about... I watched Akura ou's eyes slip from keeping contact with mine, and look at the person just behind me, his expression darkening as if he knew exactly what had just happened within the confines of my own mind. Staring at Mizuki for a few moments, then finally hearing the footsteps back away before hearing a faint growl of annoyance, Akura-ou finally looked back down at me once again, letting go of my shoulders and standing up. I looked up at him, still half asleep and wondered how long I had been out. The sun was shining brightly above our heads, and it looked like it was almost noon.

"You were having a nightmare Nanami. I was going to let you sleep longer, but you kept having fits in your sleep and once you started screaming I decided I could not let you continue to sleep for any more amount of time." He paused for a moment as he walked away and crouched down, searching through a suitcase. "Besides, we cannot waste any more time here. We need to keep moving." His voice was rougher and more stern in the last couple sentences, and I stared at him confused and curious, resisting the urge to quickly crawl towards him as I felt Mizuki's eyes boring holes into the back of my head.

Akura stood back up just as quickly as when he had crouched down to search for something in one of the bags, and headed straight back towards me. He held out a box, and waited impatiently for me as I slowly reached up with rather shaky hands and took it from him. Lifting the lid off of the box, inside was a handmade bento. My eyes widened as I suddenly felt something tap the top of my head. "Here, you cannot eat that without these, idiot."

Glancing back up, Akura-ou now avoiding eye contact with me, held out a pair of chopsticks. Quickly pulling them from his grasp, he turned away and sat down after he walked away a few yards, seeming very engrossed in what looked like a map he pulled from one of the packs. Looking back down at the food before me, my mouth began to water. "Did... did you make this?"

I heard a snort come from him as he continued to examine the map. "Don't be stupid, the mother of the boy's body who I am currently residing in made it for me. But since I do not get very hungry, it's of no use to me therefore I am allowing you to have it so we can continue on without you fainting every two steps of the way."

I stared at his back for a few moments, doing everything I could to keep from smiling. "Thank you..." I said quietly, before quietly digging in to the delicious bento Akura's mother had made for him. I felt rather bad, because although Akura's spirit was a yokai, the body in which he was residing needed nourishment just as any other human would need. But I did not dare argue with him, even in this hidden act of kindness he had shown. I noticed that at some point, a bottle of water had been set down beside me as well, and I took a few long swigs out of it without even thinking. The thought had occurred to me as soon as he had handed me that food that it might be poisoned. Mizuki very easily could have poisoned it just as he had back at the shrine, whether Akura-ou had asked him to or not. But poisoned or not, I needed to eat something, so I pushed back the worry and quickly finished off the meal before me.

Setting the now empty bento box down beside me, I folded my arms across my chest and began to look around, waiting for whenever Akura-ou decided we would leave. We were sitting in the middle of a forest. The trees were thick, and so so tall that I could not see the tops of them. I did not remember this part of the island the last time I was here, and I wondered if there was a reason we had landed so far away from the gateway to the land of the dead. Or maybe I was just being forgetful, and we were closer than I thought. After a few moments of silence as I admired the foliage around me, trying to ignore Mizuki standing silently off some ways behind me, Akura-ou stood once again and straightened his kimono. "I am going to be gone for a little while. I need to see if I can find the path that is on the map, and I do not want you to get up just yet, Nanami. Mizuki will stay here to make sure you don't try anything funny." And with that, he walked straight into the trees, the map in his hand, not looking back even once. I did not even have time to protest. I would much rather have gone with him than stay here alone with Mizuki... the nightmare was still fresh in my mind, and even though we were not alone in a room, we might as well have been. If Akura-ou wandered off too far... he might not make it back in time if Mizuki tried to … and what if Akura-ou got lost and I was stuck here until nightfall with Mizuki...?

Trembling a little bit as these thoughts pervaded my mind, I refused to look back at Mizuki. Instead, I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapped my arms around myself tightly, and decided I would stare at that same spot that Akura-ou had disappeared into until he reappeared again. Seconds felt like hours as my heart practically beat itself out of my chest. I kept trying to push away the fact that I was alone with Mizuki... that last time I was alone with him, he-

Suddenly I heard footsteps behind me once again, just as I had heard when I had woken up from the nightmare. I stiffened, my knuckles going white as I held my position, continuing to stare straight ahead. Catching sight of Mizuki's green robes out of the corner of my eye, he walked around me until he was in full view. I did not want to look up into his eyes, I did not want to see what was there... or more so, what was no longer in them. But he gave me no choice. He was crouching down in front of me, peering at me as if I were some exotic creature in an exhibit that he had found very fascinating. But there was also anger in those green eyes... hatred even. I flinched involuntarily as he leaned closer to me, curious.

"Nanami-chan... why did you scream in your sleep?" I was suddenly taken aback, scooting away from him before I knew it as I tried to use my voice.

"Wh-what?"

"When you were asleep, you kept screaming no, and said my name, asking me to stop." His green eyes suddenly slit, like a snake waiting to strike his prey. Had I actually done that? Is that why Akura-ou looked at Mizuki that way when I woke up? I looked down, crossing my arms feeling ashamed that I had been so obvious and open when I was asleep.

"I-if I did, I did not mean to. I can't control my dreams, Mizuki.."

He got even closer, and I could not help but whimper as he suddenly reached out, gripping one of my arms tightly and forcing me to look up at him. "What was I doing to you, Nanami?"

I could feel my pupils dilate in fear as his face was now inches from my own, staring at me as if staring straight into my soul. "It makes me really angry that you think I would do something like that to you, Nanami-chan. When we do finally get to that point, you will not be afraid of me, I can assure you of that." I sucked in a breath of air to let out a scream as his other hand suddenly shot out, grabbing me by my chin just like last time, and pressing his lips against my own. I lashed out with my free arm, and felt my nails scrape along his face as I tore away from him, managing to somehow stand up and back away. I could feel my whole body shaking as my ears rang. He stayed there for a moment, bringing his hand up to his cheek where reddening marks from my nails were already forming. Slowly he stood up and faced me once again.

"This deal that I had with Akura-ou... it is not turning out as well as I had hoped it would, Nanami. I am becoming very impatient with both him and you. I think it's about time that we leave this place, wouldn't you agree?" Out of nowhere he lunged for me, but I was ready this time. I turned away just in time, and began to sprint away into the foliage without even thinking. Branches and leaves whipped past my face as I tore out of there as fast as I could. I could hear Mizuki calling behind me, his calling getting more and more faint as I ran as fast as my legs could carry me.


	7. Chapter 7

(Here is chapter seven! Remember, positive criticism is very much appreciated! If I wrote something you really liked, tell me about it! If there was something you thought I could have made better, or just left out in general, let me know so I can make the story better for you as my reader! Thanks once again for all the awesome reviews, keep it comin, k?)

My head was pounding. I could feel my blood surging in my ears every time my heart beat, and the light from above that was peeking down through the canopy made my eyes hurt. I shouldn't have gotten up... but I didn't have any other choice. It was almost like my nightmare was a forewarning. I had that same terrible fear I felt in my nightmare. It came back as soon as Mizuki began to get closer to me... just before he kissed me.

'Just take deep breaths... focus on where you are stepping...' I ran the phrase over and over in my mind as I continued to run. I know it had most likely been only a minute or two since I had escaped from where Akura-ou and Mizuki had made camp for us, but by how quickly I was running out of breath, and the way my side ached, it felt like I had been sprinting for a half hour at least.

SLAP! I winced again as yet another branch whipped against my face as I ran blindly through the brush. I kept trying to dodge every risen up root in front of me, and veer through the trees without smacking into one, but I was not agile enough to dodge every branch I came across. I knew there were going to be red welts all over my legs and face before I even finished running. The hardest part was when to decide to stop ... I wanted to stop as soon as I began, but the fear of Mizuki finding me coursed through my veins stronger than the stinging pain in my lungs every time I inhaled. I glanced down at my now dirtied ballet flats for the hundredth time to avoid another narrowly missed root. I was wearing some sort of knee-length summer dress, my jacket covered my upper half making me look rather strange. I wanted to take it off, but because of the incident with Akura-ou that happened earlier, I had no choice but to keep it on. Sweat was beginning to bead on my forehead as I ran. I felt disgusting, but not just because I was beginning to perspire... I felt dirtied from Mizuki having now kissed me twice without my consent.

Shivering, I glanced behind me quickly at the thought that he would have done a lot more both times if Akura-ou had not interrupted him the first time, and I had not managed to escape the second time. It was not even a question in my mind of whether he would or wouldn't have. There was no doubt that something that had been residing in Mizuki for a very long time, finally awakened and it was without mercy or kindness. I couldn't help but feel a sob begin to build in my throat again as I continued to run, my feet becoming more and more unsteady with each breath. Swallowing back the sob, refusing to cry at a time like this where my chances of getting away could depend on how far I made it, I wiped at one of my eyes as they began to blur, pushing myself forward and gritting my teeth.

It still hurt... remembering that smiling face of his that I had come to grow so fond of for the past year of him being my Shinshi. Everything he did, although it had been clumsy and not very well thought out a lot of the time, I thought he did it because he truly cared. Because he was really trying. And... maybe at first, he was. I wish I knew what it was that made him decide to go this far... to be so willing to fall this far down. I have known betrayal in my life. Starting with my stupid father and his gambling addiction. It broke a small piece inside of me every time I came to our broken down home to find him having spent the last of our food money once again. To wonder whether I would be able to eat the next day. But this... this was a living nightmare. It was so so much to take in all at once. To face the fact that things would never be the same again. I could never go back to that wonderful life I had with Tomoe and Mizuki at the shrine... the laughing and the hard work we all put into making the shrine beautiful. Yes, Tomoe will still be there, but Mizuki added a certain... light-heartedness to the shrine that Tomoe's normally gloomy exterior couldn't achieve.

But we did it before... before Mizuki had come into the picture. I was happy... Just me and Tomoe. The thought suddenly made me a bit nervous if I make it through this alive... Tomoe was so protective the past couple months... I wonder how bad he will be if we both manage to get through this... He already had been a little overboard. That was just because it's his duty as my Shinshi though... right? And what will become of Mizuki? If Tomoe gets a hold of him, he will die. No questions asked. And if he goes into the land of the dead... there is a very high chance that not only will he die, but so will I and Akura-ou. Even if we make it out of there alive, Akura-ou will have his body back and... something about that sounded very very bad. I do not think Akura would allow Mizuki to live... same with me, most likely. As I tried to plot out every possible outcome in my mind, nothing looked very good.

If I get away, though... If I make it to some place and keep myself hidden until it is safe to come out, or Tomoe finds me before they do... maybe I could fix this if I manage to calm Tomoe down enough. So far that seemed like the only outcome with a POSSIBLE happy ending. I just have to find a good place to hide myself from view. Maybe if I climbed into one of the tr- SLAM!

My body careened in what seemed like high speed straight into the ground, my foot catching on something as I was in mid-sprint. As my full body weight made contact with the forest floor, my breath was slammed out of my lungs so forcefully that I could not get a breath back into them. I laid there doing everything I could to even get a gasp in. The silence from the forest around me made my already heightened panic rise even higher as I worried that every single living thing in the forest would have heard that crash. Digging my nails into the dirt, I tried to push myself up, coughing up dirt that I had finally managed to inhale into my lungs after having laid in it for a few moments. Now on my hands and knees, my hair hung in my face as I gasped for air from having ran for so long. The place where my ankle had caught was stinging really badly, and I knew if I looked down I would be seeing the warm blood I felt trickling down into my shoe. Wiping the back of my hand at my lip that I managed to bite as I hit the ground, streaked with yet more blood as I pulled my hand back to rest in the dirt once again.

Squeezing my eyes shut for a few moments, trying to will my heartbeat to slow down to a normal pace, I stayed in the same position, holding as still as possible for fear of making even more noise to draw unwanted attention. I wanted to just sit down and bawl my eyes out in all honesty. Everything had turned from bad to worse within what felt like a matter of minutes, and it was already bad enough. I wanted to be in my warm bed at the shrine, waking up to the smell of Tomoe's delicious cooking and the Onibi-warashi's incessant babbling.

Pushing myself back up slowly, and wincing from the stabbing pain in my ankle, I looked around myself slowly to try and get my bearings. I had stopped in a really thick part of the trees. No wonder I tripped, it looked like a close knit maze of bushes and branches wherever I looked. Slowly I began to limp forward, clutching myself tightly as my eyes and ears were on high alert for any sudden movement or noise around me. After a few moments of step after step, the sound of the forest began to reach my raging ears. Birds were chirping not far off, the sound of flapping wings and shaking branches began to loosen the muscles in my shoulders. I felt something I had been craving for days now. Seclusion and safety... No creepy glances or smiles from Mizuki, no cold glares and harsh words from Akura-ou.. No fear for my life or my body. Yes, it was still lingering in the back of my mind that I needed to keep moving, but this small break, being alone, it was like a breath of fresh air. Dropping my arms to my sides, I pushed a branch out of my way, ducking around it and stepping into a clearing of trees.

Feeling my eyes widen, I looked from one side of the clearing to the next as the sound of slow trickling water reached my ears. Long green grass swayed in a slight breeze as the soft sunlight shone down, reflecting off of a small creek at the other end of the clearing. The smell of wildflowers and fresh water reached my senses as brilliant colors of blue and purple pervaded my vision in small patches of the grass wherever I looked. It was like walking upon an oasis in a desert. A small smile of relief crept up at the edges of my mouth as I slowly began to step into the long grass, heading towards the clear flowing water before me.

Kneeling down at the edge of the water, I reached in, cupping both hands, and pulled it up to my face, splashing the cool liquid over my skin, feeling the dirt, sweat and blood stream back down into the water to be carried off by the slow current. Repeating the same action three or four more times, I lifted up my head, taking in a deep breath of relief just from that small part of me being cleaner than it was before. Next, I slipped the shoe off the the foot with a rather deep gash in it, and carefully slipped it into the water to watch the blood wash away. I knew it was rather risky, seeing as I did not know how much bacteria could be infesting the water, but it looked better than walking around with dried blood all over my ankle and foot. After having had pulled my foot out of the water, I slipped it back into my stained ballet flat, and pushed myself into a standing position. Looking out over the stream for a moment, trying to mentally will myself to continue on seeing as this was a wide open space where if Mizuki flew over on his snake, I would be spotted within less than a millisecond.

Clenching my teeth, the thought finally making me begin to move, I turned around to start heading back to find a way back into the forest, and maybe follow closely beside the creek so if I needed to turn around, I would know which way to go without getting myself even more lost than I already was. Maybe I will find a cave or maybe even a house, or- "OOF!"

I suddenly found my face bumping right into something warm and smooth... silk...? A small scream escaped my lips before I could stop myself, and a white hot flash of panic seared through me, rendering me frozen as a long pair of thin, yet strong hands were suddenly gripping me by both arms, my view that had been filled with black silk and a soft, pale neck, now lowered down. Before my eyes, a pair of light gray irises filled my vision, as smooth, rather long strands of black hair swayed back and forth blocking them from my vision every time the breeze blew at them slightly.

My mouth clamped shut, the scream long gone now, having been carried away in the wind. I tried to take a step back, but the hands that were firmly gripping my arms now squeezed hard enough to make me flinch in pain and fear. Akura-ou's face was merely inches from my own, and he looked more angry than usual... livid, in fact. I slowly began to stutter out his name, terror still hitting me in waves out of the fear of having been caught so quickly after running. "A—Akura-ou..." I ran the opposite direction from where he had headed in when he left our campsite... I thought he was supposed to be looking for a trail or something... how did he find me so quickly? What was he going to do? It was very obvious that I had run away from Mizuki, exhibit A being the fact that Mizuki was nowhere in sight. Not to mention the disastrous state I am currently in...

I was suddenly being grabbed by the front of my jacket, my face somehow getting even closer to Akura's without making skin contact. Even though I was shaking with fear, I could not help but listen to the small voice in the back of my head whispering 'at least it isn't Mizuki...' Holding on to Akura-ou's arms as he lifted me up a little, looking me over as if I was a bad pet that had escaped the house, I gulped as I felt my feet being lifted off of the ground.

"What are you doing, Nanami?"

His voice was somehow very calm, acting as if he were just asking a normal question to a friend of his. This confused me, and frightened me even more.

"U—um, I... I was washing my face because I fell..."

Just as quickly as he had lifted me up, I was being lowered back onto the ground, His hand having wandered up to grip my jaw, forcing me to keep eye contact with him whether I wished it or not. He was gripping my jaw so tightly that it hurt... I tried to pull away again but he held me even more tightly.

"No. I mean what are you doing away from our rest site?"

I could feel my mind begin to go blank. His eyes were so beautiful in such a different way... there was a fire inside of him... something very powerful and very dangerous... "I—M-mizuki... H—he "

Out of nowhere, I saw a flash of confusion for a moment. Was this not what he was expecting to hear?

"What about Mizuki? Where is he?"

Gulping, and cringing even at his name being said out loud for fear of him somehow hearing it from this distance, my eyes darted to the side, trying to see around Akura-ou, imagining Mizuki walking up right behind him as we spoke about him.

"H..he is at the camp still... I think. B—but he could have tried to follow me. I couldn't stay there anymore. I—I tried to wait for you b—but ..."

I suddenly felt the fear of Akura-ou deflate inside me, the gnawing memories rising back up again. I want to just go home.

The grip on my jaw loosened, then disappeared without hesitation. As he dropped his hand, I looked back up at him in confusion. Stepping back, he folded his arms and sighed, a flash of anger erupting in his expression.

"He tried it again, didn't he?... When will he get it through his small brain that a woman cannot be forced into love... the more you push the more they will flee in fear." Straightening up after what looked like a small moment of guilt, I watched as he looked at me once again, this time his eyes wandering from my face down to my feet.

"You look a little worse for wear... did you fall?" I watched with widened eyes as he kneeled down and inspected the gash on my ankle. I wanted to take a step back at the sudden show of kindness, feeling almost as if it were a trick. Then just as quickly, he stood back up, and brought his hand up to my face. Automatically, I flinched away, just having had Mizuki attempting the same action towards me not long ago.

"Nanami."

I stopped, and froze at the sound of my name. He said it in such a low, hoarse voice... it reminded me of Tomoe when he had found me at the bottom of the swamp in Yonomori shrine, and he held me for what felt like ages. I could hear the concern and relief in his voice.

Freezing, I felt a soft, gentle touch brush ever so slightly against the bottom corner of my lip. The part that I had bitten when I fell. The touch was so gentle... so soft that the sudden show of care through just that action brought tears to my eyes, making me suddenly turn away. I was sick of looking so weak in front of him.

"He better not have done that to you... come. Walk with me. Help me find the trail. Once we do, we are leaving that cursed snake behind. The deal between us is off." After a few moments of silence, mainly due to my shock at the words that had just left his mouth, he continued in a softer voice as I suddenly felt my hand being taken in his as he began to tug me along.

"If that snake thinks he can treat a woman that way,especially after he claims to love her, will die if he crosses paths with me again."


End file.
